Sell your home

Does your home no longer fit your life? Are you expecting new family members such as a baby, or are your college kids moving out, or might an aging parent move in? Life changes like these may make your current living quarters feel too small, or large, or just no longer suit your needs. Career changes such as a new job that’s farther away might also mean it makes sense to move, or if you now work mostly from home, this could free you up to live just about anywhere. Make sure to consider your personal circumstances as well as market conditions when deciding whether the time is right for you to sell.

Can you afford your home, and maintain it? If a job loss or divorce has made your current mortgage payments unmanageable, it may be smart to cut your losses and downsize to a home within your means. People close to retirement may also want to sell so they can move to an area with better weather or a more relaxed pace, or into a home with fewer maintenance hassles like a huge yard or swimming pool.

Figuring out how much your home is worth is important if you hope to get a good price when you sell. While you might have a certain dollar figure in mind—based on what you paid originally, plus a little extra since real estate tends to appreciate—your home’s actual value could be lower or much higher based on your local housing market, the condition of your home, and other factors. Not sure where to start? ubuymy has a variety of tools and advice to help you figure out how much your house is worth.

Check out comps. The best way to assess your home’s value is to learn the sales prices of similar properties in your neighborhood, otherwise known as “comparables” or “comps.” For example, if a home near yours with the same square footage and numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms recently sold for $250,000, your own home’s value is likely in that ballpark. The more comps you check, the more accurately you can pinpoint your own home’s price. One great place to start is to type your address into the ubuymy, which will estimate your property’s sales price based on an algorithm that factors in similar properties in your area.

Today, there are many ways to sell a house, and the best option for you will depend on your unique circumstances. To help you figure out the best selling method for you, here’s a rundown of your options, as well as the pros and cons of each.

List with a real estate agent. Hiring a real estate agent or broker to sell your home is the tried-and-true method that tends to net the highest profit. An agent can create a custom marketing plan, get the word out to many buyers, and assist you through the entire home-selling process. While you pay a commission for an agent’s services (often a percentage of your home’s sales price), it may be money well-spent since listing with an agent can help you fetch a high price for your home. Here’s how to find a real estate agent in your area who can help.

If you’re getting ready to sell your house, you may want to make some repairs and upgrades so your property makes a great impression on buyers. Here are some things to consider when trying to prepare a home for sale so it fetches top dollar.

Gather your paperwork. No matter how great your home looks at first glance, savvy buyers will want to know how old items are. Check your home records, receipts, or seller’s disclosures for the age or last repair of things like your roof, HVAC system, water heater, and gutters. You’ll also want to check how long these features are supposed to last. A central air-conditioning unit, for instance, typically lasts about 15 years, a wood shingle roof 15 to 30; but this will depend on a variety of factors such as the model and how well they’ve been maintained.